A Sampling of Food Cities in Puerto Rico

San Juan

San Juan is the capital city of Puerto Rico and the oldest city in the United States territory. The ever-growing vibrant metropolis is a bonafide food destination where traditional authentic Puerto Rican food can be enjoyed. The city is a paradise for foodies with plenty of dining options to tantalize your tastebuds and up-and-coming chefs dishing up delicious cuisine. There is a wide variety of cuisine to dine on in San Juan with authentic Puerto Rican, Italian, Spanish, African, and indigenous Taino flavors as well as New York steakhouses. Local produce, fresh seafood, coffee, cocktails, and more can be found at glossy restaurants, authentic cafes, haciendas in the mountains, and bustling bars. This enchanting island and its tropical culinary scene offer diners bold flavors in each dish, empanadas, tostones, and the national dish of Arroz con gandules are just a few to try.

Must Savor Specialties: Quesadilla de queso de cabra (goats cheese, honey, arugula, and a dressing made from white truffle oil), stuffed mofongo, fried chorizo, guava barbecued ribs, tropical ceviche with escolar fish, malanga chips, steak with rice and beans, peach mojitos, tres leches dessert, tripleta sandwiches (a combination of chicken, ham, and beef topped with fried potato sticks), fried plantains, croquetas (fried crunchy bites filled with ham, chicken, or seafood layered with bechamel sauce), alcapurrias (beef or seafood stuffed fritters), bacalaitos (fried codfish fritters), empanadas, tostones, arroz con gandules, fresh seafood, pina Coladas, quesitos, coffee.

Coffee

Coffee is a huge part of the culture in Puerto Rico with haciendas dotted around the verdant countryside that offer tours of the farm and allow visitors to see the production process. The country’s coffee history goes back over 200 years with historians believing that it was first introduced to the island in 1736 by the Spaniards. The verdant tropical mountainous region is the perfect place for harvesting coffee plants, and the first beans were sowed at the end of the 18th century, Puerto Rican coffee was given the reputation of being the coffee of “popes and kings”. The coffee in Puerto Rico stands out due to a combination of where it is grown, and how it is processed with volcanic soil and altitudes of up to 3,500 feet, creating extraordinary flavors. Coffee haciendas in Puerto Rico feature great restaurants, and coffee shops with some offering cabins to stay in overnight. The drive to these coffee farms is one of the most rewarding, winding through the mountains giving way to spectacular views of coffee plants stretching for miles along the hillside.